Devices for attaching mouthpieces to elongated articles such as cigarettes or cigars



Apnl 30, 1968 A. SCHMERMUND 3,380,459

mavxcms FOR ATTACHING MOUTHPIECES TO ELONGATED ARTICLES sucn ASCIGARETTES OR CIGARS Filed Oct. 19, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 NVENTO AL? I!:N-HhER u A ril 30, 1968 A. SCHMERMUND 3,330,459

DEVICES FOR ATTACHING MOUTHPIECES TO ELONGATED ARTICLES SUCH ASCIGARETTES OR CIGARS Filed Oct. 19, 1965 5 Sheets-$heet 2 A nl 30, 1968A. SCHMERMUND 3,380,459

125x225 FOR ATTACHING MOUTHPIECES TO ELONGATED ARTICLES sucn ASCIGARETTES OR CIGARS Filed Oct 19, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 kTram ys April30, 6 A. SCHMERMUND 3,380,459

DEVICES FOR ATTACHING MOUTHPIECES TO ELONGATED ARTICLES SUCH ASCIGARETTES OR CIGARS Filed Oct. 19, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 April 1953 A.SCHMERMUND 3,380,459

DEVICES FOR ATTACHING MOUTHPIECES T0 ELONGATED ARTICLES SUCH ASCIGARETTES 0R CIGARS Filed Oct. 19, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United StatesPatent 0 3,380,459 DEVICES FOR ATTACHING MOUTHPIECES TO ELONGATEDARTICLES SUCH AS CIGARETTES 0R CIGARS Alfred Schmermund, 62Kornerstrasse, Gevelsberg, Westphalia, Germany Filed Oct. 19, 1965, Ser.No. 497,977 Claims priority, application Germany, Oct. 21, 1964, Sch35,993 3 Claims. (Cl. 131-94) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The inventionrelates to the provision in a device for attaching mouthpieces toelongated articles such as cigarettes or cigars in which groups ofelongated articles and mouthpieces are received in the chambers of arotatable drum acting as a conveyor, of marginal flanges on the drumbetween which bars are provided having a pair of a rotatable rollerslaterally of each bar, one on each side of each bar, the spaces betweenthe rollers or adjacent bars forming the groups receiving chambers, therollers and bars being so dimensioned that the rollers bear against thegroup in the chamber.

Disclosure of invention The invention relates to devices for attachingmouth pieces, for example filter tips, to elongated articles such ascigarettes or cigars.

For attaching filter tips to cigarettes, it is known to form groups eachcomprising a filter plug of twice the length of a cigarette filter tip,and two cigarettes, one at each end of the plug, to wind a length ofwrapping material around each plug and the adjacent ends of the twocigarettes and to out each group centrally whereby two filter tippedcigarettes are obtained from each group. For fixing the length ofwrapping material, it is customary to place the length provided with anadhesive into contact with the plug and to rotate the group to wind thematerial around the plug.

It has been found that the cigarettes are liable to damage, for exampleby loss of tobacco at their free ends, during rotation. It is an objectof this invention to provide a device in which the danger of damaging anelongated article while attaching a mouthpiece thereto is avoided, or isat least reduced, as compared with known devices just referred to.

This object is attained by providing a device which 0 permits theelongated articles to be particularly slowly rotated while the materialis wound around the mouth pieces.

To make the invention clearly understood reference will now be made tothe accompanying drawings which are given by way of exampe and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of an embodimerit of theinvention;

'FIG. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section along the line IIIIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates a detail, in section, of FIG. 1 on a larger scale;and

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate the detail of FIG. 4 in different operatingpositions.

The embodiment of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 comprises chutes 101 for feedingcigarettes 36 and filter plugs 37 to a first rotatable drum T so thatgroups are formed on the drum T, each group comprising two cigarettes 36and an intermediate filter plug 37 which has twice the length of afilter tip of a single cigarette.

The groups are transferred from the drum T to a secice 0nd rotatabledrum X having a plurality of suction members 203, the free ends of whichare concave to form troughs 202 for receiving the groups of cigarettesand filter plugs. Each member 203 has bores 204 terminating in thetrough 202 and being arranged to communicate, during a part of eachrevolution of the drum X, with a stationary suction duct 206, which, inturn, communicates through ducts 209, 210 with a suction line 208. Bythis arrangement groups of cigarettes and filter plugs are successivelyattracted from the drum T by suction and are held in the troughs 202 bysuction while the respective bores 204 communicate with the suction duct206. The drums T and X are rotatable in the directions of the arrows tand y respectively.

A third drum V is rotatable in the direction of the arrow z and servesto feed lengths 1 of wrapping material to groups of cigarettes andfilter plugs held in troughs 202 of the drum X. The lengths 1 ofwrapping material are held on the drum V by suction chambers 1a. Each ofthe lengths 1 of wrapping material is provided with an adhesive on itsside facing the drum X and is glued to a group of cigarettes and filterplug at the position U,

so that the drum X, on further rotation in the direction of the arrow Y,successively feeds groups of cigarettes and plugs with attached lengthsof wrapping material to a fourth drum W on which the lengths 1 ofmaterial are wound about the groups.

The further drum W comprises two crossed arms 20 keyed to a rotatableshaft 19 and carrying flanges 6 and 7 interconnected by rods 4 which arerectangular in cross section. At each side of the 'rods 4 rollers 3 areeasily rotatably mounted. The diameter of the rollers 3 is such thatbetween each pair of adjacent rollers a chamber is formed which is opentowards the side away from the shaft 19 and in which a group 'of twocigarettes and an intermediate filter plug can be accommodated. Discs 7aof the flange 7 are arranged to bear against a stationary segment 8fixed to a frame 9 of the device. The segment 8 is co-axial with thedrum W, and an endless belt 11 of comparatively great width bearsagainst an outer surface 10 of the segment 8. The belt 11 is guided byrollers 12 and 14, which are mounted on the frame 9, and is laterallyguided by side walls of a groove in the segment 8. The belt is movablein the direction of the arrow 11a by means of a belt drum 16 whichthrough a flange 17 is keyed to a hollow shaft 18 surrounding the shaft19. The hollow shaft 18 is mounted by means of needle bearings 18a inhublike extensions of the frame 9.

Three further parallel endless belts 21 extend about a portion of thedrum W which corresponds approximately to the length of the segmentsurface 10. The belts 21 are guided by rollers 22, 23 and 24 andtensioned by rollers 25 and 26. The said rollers are respectivelymounted on shafts 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 fixed to the frame 9. The roller25 also serves to drive the belts 21.

The operation of the embodiment described is as follows:

Groups of two cigarettes and an intermediate filter plug and providedwith a length of wrapping material are held by suction in the troughs202 of the drum X. On rotation of the drum X and W, at the position E(FIG. 1), where the drum X comes nearest to the drum W, each group isdeposited, after the suction effect on said group has been terminated,in a chamber or space between a pair of adjacent rollers 3 of the drumW. By means of a stripping finger 32 the groups of cigarettes are heldin such chambers. When a group enters a chamber the lengths of materialis folded about the centre portion of the group in U-shaped manner, theU having, however, limbs of different lengths, the leading limb 37a (seeFIG. 4) being longer than the trailing limb 38. On further rotation ofthe drum W, the longer limb 37a reaches a stationary suction block 34fixed to the frame 9. As shown in FIGS. -5 and 6, the longer limb 37a issuccessively wound about the group of cigarettes and filter plug. Thesuction block 34 has suction bores 42, 43 and 44 which exert a suctionelfect and draw the limb 37a against an inclined surface 33 of thesuction block 34 and consequently hold the limb 37a under a slighttension while the limb 37a is being wound about the group. Thereby it isavoided that the limb 37a provided with adhesive contacts an adjacentroller 3. Furthermore, the entire group is somewhat rotated so that thesmaller limb 38 is pressed by the adjacent roller 3 against the group asshown in FIG. 6 at U This effect is assisted by resilient finger 60attached by means of a holder 61 to the segment 8 and by a recess 40 andits edge 41 of the block 34.

FIG. 5 shows the longer limb 37a drawn against the inclined surface ofthe suction block 34. When the group has passed the edge 41, the groupbegins to rotate to place the smaller limb 38 against the group, therotation being terminated when in position U of FIG. 6 the group ispassing the edge 41. In such position the group is slightly clampedbetween the resilient finger 60 and the edge 41 and rotation istemporarily prevented.

On further rotation of the drum W into position U shown in FIG. 7 thegroup reaches the moving belt 11 and the portion 35 of the suction block34. The inner belt '11, the drum W and the outer belts 21 move all inthe same direction but with different speeds. More specifically, theinner belt 11 moves somewhat more slowly than the group rotates with thedrum W. Therefore, the group rotates slowly in such a sense that thelonger limb 37a is wound completely about the group, the winding beingalmost completed in position U shown in FIG. 4.

During further movements of the drum W, and the belts 11 and 21, thegroup continues to rotate slowly in the same sense so that the length ofwrapping material is pressed against the group. While the group remainson the drum W and slowly rotates, the adhesive has time sufiiciently todry. If, for example, it be assumed that the output of the machine is600 groups per minute, or groups per second and that groups can beaccommodated simultaneously on the drum W, then the adhesive has twoseconds for drying while a group is on the drum W. As experience showsthis time of two seconds is sufiicient for a preliminary drying of theadhesive. The rota tion of each group may be so slow that the group isrotated 5 times or even less while on the drum W. Owing to such a slowspeed of rotation it is unlikely that the cigarettes of the groups willbe seriously damaged although the length of wrapping material is firmlypressed against and Wound about the group.

When a group has passed the belts 11 and 21, they reach an ejector 45(see FIGS. 1 and 3) which is held by a holder 46 pivoted at 47 to arms48 of a movable parallelogram arrangement, the arms 48 being pivotallyconnected by stub shafts '52 to the frame 9. The ejector 45 is operatedby means of a crank shaft drive not shown through a rod 51 and a lever49. The ejector 45 moves the group from the drum W into recesses 53 of adrum 54 which is rotatably mounted in the frame 9 by means of a shaft58. A stationary guide member 55 holds the groups in the recesses 53.

When the drum 54 rotates in the direction of the inscribed arrow thegroups reach a circular cutter 56 on a shaft '57, the cutter 56 cuttingthe filter plug at the centre region whereby two filter-tippedcigarettes are obtained, which are subsequently dealt with in the usualmanner.

It is of course possible to provide other elongated articles, forexample cigars, with suitable mouth pieces. It should be clearlyunderstood that the embodiment described is given by way of example onlyand that many modifications, omissions and additions are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A device for attaching mouthpieces to elongated articles such ascigarettes or cigars comprising a rotatable drum; marginal flanges onsaid drum; bars positioned between said flanges; a pair of rotatablerollers arranged laterally of each bar, one roller at each side of eachbar, the bars and rollers being so dimensioned and positioned as toleave between the rollers of adjacent bars a chamber in which one groupof the plurality of groups formed, by elongated articles and mouthpiecescan be received with said rollers bearing against them; first meanshaving a first movable surface arranged for contacting said groups onthe drum at one side; second means having at least one further movablesurface arranged for contacting said groups at the opposite side; meansfor winding a sheet like strip of material around each group; and meansfor moving said drum, said first surface and said further surface all inthe same direction but at different speeds whereby to rotate said groupsat a rotational speed depending on said different speeds.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, and comprising means for joining alength of wrapping material to each group in the shape of a U havinglimbs of different lengths, the larger limb being at the leading side ofthe group, and suction means arranged for acting on said longer limb fortensioning the same.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the said pairs of rollers areidler rollers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,165,144 6/1939 Lubbock 13l942,802,470 '8/1957 Treble 13194 2,809,640 10/ 1957 Oldenkamp 131-942,952,105 9/1960 Schur 13194X 3,000,382 9/1961 Horgan 131-94 3,156,24611/ 1964 Burkhard 131-94 FOREIGN PATENTS 805,139 5/ 1951 Germany.

ALDRICH F. MEDBERY, Primary Examiner.

